The Universal Tendencies of Super Geniuses
by CubsKing
Summary: Sheriff Carter thought he'd seen everything living in Eureka. Boy, was he ever wrong! Jack O'Neill/Sam Carter, Jack Carter/Allison Blake.
1. Searching for Answers

Time frame: Stargate SG-1 - Post Atlantis 5x01. (Which, I'm aware, isn't really SG-1, but it does take place in the Stargate universe) Eureka - Post Season 1, pre Season line

Author's Notes: This is obviously AU. _Very_ AU... In this world, some things (particularly the deaths of major characters) didn't happen, so just go with it. Many thanks to my betas, Margie and Elizabeth!

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or Eureka. This story is not meant for profit.

Summary: Sheriff Carter's Sister is coming to visit. But can he find out what she REALLY does before she gets there?

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"Alright, sis. I'll pick you up at the airport tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again... Yep, love you, too... Bye," Sheriff Jack Carter said into his cell phone.

"Sis?" Deputy Jo Lupo questioned as she entered the office carrying a steaming hot cup with a double shot of freshly brewed Vinspresso from Café Diem.

"What?" Jack asked, spinning around to face his deputy.

"I overheard you on the phone just now. I didn't know you had a sister," Jo commented.

"Yeah, but I don't get to see her much. She keeps herself pretty busy. She's a Colonel in the Air Force, working on some top secret project in Colorado. We don't even get much of a chance to talk anymore," Jack explained. "Now that I think about it, I've barely seen her in the last decade and not at all for the last year."

"Oh," Jo responded. A minute later, something clicked in her mind. "Wait... Carter? Is your sister Sam Carter, by any chance?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Jack questioned, befuddled.

"I've worked with her before," Jo replied with a gleam in her eyes and the hint of a smirk on her face. "So, since it's top secret, you don't know what exactly she does?"

"Well, she always says she's working on 'Deep Space Radar Telemetry.' It's pretty obvious that it's just a cover, though." Jack paused a moment before a thought hit him. "Aw, you know what she does, don't you, Jo?"

The smirk was evident in full-force now. "Yep."

"And you're not going to tell me, are you?" Jack groused.

"Nope."

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Hopping out of his patrol Jeep, Sheriff Carter rushed through the front doors of the largest employer in Eureka, Global Dynamics. After passing through the always unpleasant retinal scanners, he hurried up the stairs in search of the Department of Defense's liaison to Eureka and Global, Dr. Allison Blake. After a few moments of scanning the crowd, he spotted his target crossing the lobby.

"Allison! You've got to help me here!" Jack called out as he swiftly approached her.

"Carter? Is something wrong?" she worriedly asked.

"Yes. My sister's coming in tomorrow, and apparently I don't have enough clearance to know what she really does!" Jack spat out.

"Oh. I thought it was something serious," Allison dismissed. "Wait, you have a sister?"

"Do I really never talk about her?" Jack wondered aloud rhetorically. "Yes, I have a sister. She works for the Air Force on some ultra Top Secret project. She's coming in tomorrow for a visit."

"Is your sister Sam Carter?" Allison asked, shocked.

"Great, you know her, too?" Jack asked, equally shocked.

"By reputation only. We were both stationed at the Pentagon at the same time, but I never had the privilege of meeting her," Allison admitted. "She's a legend at the Pentagon. She's an absolutely brilliant astrophysicist. Rewrites the laws of Physics with every published theory, and she's always proven right."

"Yeah, that sounds like Sam," he chuckled. "Even when we were kids, I couldn't understand the way she thought. It was like she could see a bigger picture."

"So, she's coming in tomorrow?" Allison queried.

"Yeah, and I'd really like to know what she's been doing before she gets here. Maybe for once I'd have the upper hand," Jack crowed.

"Sorry, Carter. I can't give you that clearance," she told him sympathetically. "I don't even have it myself. You'll have to take it up with Washington."

"I'll do that," he grumpily responded, turning and heading back to his office.

----------

"General O'Neill's office? This is Sheriff Jack Carter from Eureka... No, I'd rather not... hold," he said into his phone, banging his forehead against the desk for the umpteenth time.

"No luck?" Jo called across the office.

"You're enjoying this WAY too much," Jack shot back, not raising his head from the desk.

"Yes, hello," Jack spoke back into the phone when he heard the music turn off. "I'm sorry, I've just been playing phone ping-pong all day. I've already talked to the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, the Air Force again, the Department of Homeland Security, back to the Air Force _again_, and now you. I already have the highest security clearance available and I just want to know what my sister does. Hello? Hello? Oh, good, you're still there... No, I can't wait. I need to get this done today. I have the clearance and just need the General's approval... What? The General is on vacation? Don't you have any way to reach him?... All right, I appreciate you leaving a message for him. Hopefully he'll get back to you today so I can get everything taken care of this evening. Thanks for your help."

"Looks like you aren't gonna find out before she gets here," Jo mocked.

"Oh, go clean your guns or something!" Jack retorted.

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Published 04-17-09


	2. Family Reunion

Summary: It's time for a family reunion. The secrets start to be revealed. Just not the ones that Sheriff Carter was expecting...

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When he arrived the following day at the airport in the next town over to pick up his sister, Jack was quite surprised to find that he wasn't the only person from Eureka awaiting the plane's arrival.

"Allison! What are you doing here?" he pressed.

"I'm here as the DOD liaison to greet our important guests," she answered.

"Why is the DOD... Wait, did you say guests? Plural? As in more than one guest?" he sputtered.

"Yes, guests," she confirmed. "There has been a bit of an organizational redistribution at the Pentagon and we've been given a new military overseer. He's also coming in on this flight."

"Oh," was all Jack could say. "Look, here they come now!"

Jack and Allison watched as the crowd exited the jet and proceeded down the corridor. Heading the procession were a pair of people in crisp, dark blue uniforms. Jack immediately recognized the blonde-haired woman with the brilliant grin across her face. He didn't know the taller gentleman next to her, though from their demeanor, Jack could tell that the two officers did know each other very well.

"Sam!" Jack called to his sister as she neared him.

"Jack! It's so good to see you again!" she responded, throwing her arms wide and enveloping her older brother in a hug. The sheriff noticed the other man's head shoot up when she called out his name.

After a few moments, Jack unwound one arm from around his sister, keeping the other around her shoulder for a few moments longer. "Sam, let me introduce you to Dr. Allison Blake, Department of Defense liaison to Eureka and a big fan of yours. Allie, this is my sister, Colonel Dr. Samantha Carter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Blake," Sam greeted, shaking the woman's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine. But please, call me Allison," she responded.

"And please call me Sam. Jack, Allison, let me introduce you to Major General Jack O'Neill," Sam offered.

"General," Allison said, shaking his hand.

"Doctor," O'Neill replied.

"General O'Neill," the Sheriff said, sticking out his own hand. "Wait, General O'Neill? From the Pentagon?"

"Ya, sure, you betcha," the man acknowledged.

Jack Carter sighed with frustration. "I spent all day yesterday trying to get in contact with you!"

When he saw the other three members of the party smirk, he put the pieces together. "Oh, you all knew about this, didn't you? You set me up! Oh, you're going to pay for this," he warned. "Well, maybe not you, General. I don't know you yet."

"Call me Jack," O'Neill entreated.

"Me, too. I mean, you can call me Jack as well," the Sheriff rejoined.

"Well, I hate to rush this wonderful moment, but we do have work to get done," Allison commented. "General, if you would please come with me, I can start filling you in on the details of what you'll be doing while you're here on our way back to our destination."

"Ah, the torrents of paperwork start already," O'Neill intoned dryly.

With a sympathetic smile, Allison continued. "Sam, I'm sure you'd like to go with your brother and catch up. We can meet for lunch at noon at Café Diem."

"That sounds great. We'll see you there," the Sheriff told her as they parted ways.

------

"So, Sam, do I get to find out what you really do now?" Jack asked as they climbed into his Jeep and headed towards Eureka.

"Nope," she responded with a jesting note in her voice and a teasing glint in her eyes.

"And why not?" he demanded.

"Jack and I were planning on telling you and Zoë this evening," she explained.

Jack's bubble of righteous indignation promptly deflated. "Oh. Well, I guess I can wait that long," he acquiesced. "So, what have you been up to for the last year?"

"That's classified," Sam returned without thinking. When she noticed his pout, she realized what she'd just said. "I've been away on assignment for a year. I'll explain more tonight."

"Can't you give me a hint?" he cajoled.

"Not really. Sorry. Let me just say that it's been out of this world," she teased. "How about you? How has your first year in Eureka been?"

"Crazy! You wouldn't believe the trouble some of these scientists get into!" Jack remarked.

"Want to make a bet?" Sam countered.

"Oh, that's right. You're one of THEM, aren't you? Traitor," he playfully grumbled.

"I'm not the one that causes the trouble. Well, not usually, at least. I just have to repair it afterwards," Sam countered. "Just like when we were kids. I was always pulling you out of one mess or another."

"Hey, now! You weren't exactly a trouble-free child yourself," he shot back.

"Yeah, but I was cute," she sniped.

"Oh, low blow!" Jack objected. "Anyway, now I'm the one cleaning up all the messes, not creating them."

"Like what?" Sam inquired.

"Well, some of the highlights off the top of my head: I've dealt with multiple breakdowns of the space-time continuum; a clone; SARAH, the AI that controls my house, keeping several of the most important people in town, including myself, hostage. I've prevented the possible nuclear annihilation of the entire planet; dealt with an army of self-replicating robots; and handled several heavily-armed people, including my deputy Jo, who were suffering paranoid delusions induced by a mood-altering satellite signal and thought Eureka was being invaded by aliens," he rattled off. "Which I find especially ridiculous, since aliens don't exist, right?"

He chuckled and looked over and saw Sam. Instead of laughing with him, she was looking back with a single raised eyebrow.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that at this time," she hedged.

"Great, there's more nightmare material!" he moaned.

"A little xenophobic there, Jack?" she asked.

"If that means scared of brain-sucking aliens, then you bet I am," he eagerly replied. The sound of Sam's laughter cheered his spirits, though, making him chuckle also.

"Well, that sounds like a rough week where I work," she told him.

"WEEK!" Jack gasped, turning to look at his sister again. When he caught the glint in her eye again, he knew she was giving him a bit of a rough time. "So, those are the highlights of the last six months. Well, in this time line, at least."

Sam cocked her head to the side. "Oh? You're getting experience with alternate time lines, too?"

Jack nodded sadly, remembering the future he'd left behind to save the universe. Again. "Yeah. I had to repair a tear in the fabric of the spacetime continuum and prevent the entropic failure of the whole universe. Now I'm dealing with paradoxes between what I've seen happen and what I'm seeing now. And there's really no one I can talk to about it. The only other person who knows about the whole time-travel thing is Dr. Henry Deacon, and it was because of him that I'm in this whole mess in the first place."

"Spacetime continuum? Entropic failure? We may make a quantum physicist out of you yet," she razzed. When he didn't laugh or offer a snappy comeback, Sam took the moment to study him more closely. He was obviously lost in his memories.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she gently prodded.

"What?" he asked, snapping back to reality. "Oh, sorry. I guess I spaced there for a second. It's just hard, having seen a life that will probably never happen. I mean, just knowing that the other time line happened and seeing the subtle differences could be enough to prevent it from happening in this time line, right? It's a lot to deal with, especially for me."

"I understand," Sam empathized.

"How can you understand?" he asked bitterly.

"Well, let's just say I'm no stranger to temporal anomalies myself," she confessed. "I've seen things that would blow your mind, even now. It may feel like you've been thrown into the deep end by babysitting scientists in Eureka, but they aren't the only ones that cause trouble on a universal scale."

"It's really not that bad," Jack sighed. "I just redefine the term 'weird' on a daily basis."

"So, what's with you and Allison?" Sam inquired, deciding to change the subject. When Jack flinched, she connected the dots at hyper speed. "You had a life with her in your alternate time line, didn't you?"

Jack groaned. "Am I that transparent?"

"I've known you for my whole life," she pointed out. "I can read it all over you. When you two are together, your body language shows a sense of familiarity but also a nervous tension with the situation. Your face is a carefully constructed mask, but your eyes show everything. They always have."

"It's a good thing you aren't in my poker group," Jack cracked. "Well, not that I have a poker group here. Most of the residents are super geniuses and are a bit, how can I say this nicely, socially inept. They'd probably insist on playing with some sort of virtual reality playing cards. It'd be just like the baseball debacle all over again..."

"Seriously, Jack, talk to me," Sam entreated. "I promise it won't go any further than this car. I'm good at keeping things locked up."

"I have memories of living the next 4 years. Henry used a tachyon accelerator and caused a spatial rift. I had to use it to send my own mind back in time to prevent a temporal anomaly that would have caused the destruction of the universe. In so doing, I had to stop my best friend from saving his girlfriend's life, allowing her to die in a lab accident. I also lost my future, where I'd been married to Allison. We were even expecting a baby soon. I watched Zoë get her act together and graduate as the valedictorian. Allison's son Kevin had his Autism cured. But now, due to the changes, I'm not sure if any of it will ever happen," Jack blurted out. "Boy, that felt really good to let out."

"Wow. That's … wow," Sam sputtered. For the first time in years, she was completely at a loss for words.

"I know. A bit much, isn't it?" Jack laughed.

"Yeah," she concurred. "It's one thing to see how some changes in your past could have made your life turn out differently. It's a whole different ballgame when you're the one who actually LIVED another life."

They traveled in silence for a few minutes, each trying to digest the situation.

"So, what are you going to do?" Sam finally asked.

"I don't know. Try to take things slowly and not scare her off, I guess. It's hard, though," Jack confided. "I know what we had before and I want that again. Or is it later instead of before, since what I remember hasn't happened yet?"

"Hmm," she muttered. She started working through some scenarios in her head, and after a few moments had an epiphany.

When Jack looked over, he saw she had 'the look.' "Uh oh. I know that look. The last time I saw it, you wanted to build our own rocket ship. The time before that, you wanted to brew our own beer and managed to blow up the tool shed. And let's not forget when you decided to put a motor on your 10-speed."

"Oh, believe me, my brilliant ideas have gone WAY up in scale since then," she announced, flashing a smile bright enough to light a city for days.

"I'm not going to have a choice in this, am I?" Jack questioned resignedly.

"Nope. Now, here's what we're going to do…"

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Published 04-18-09


	3. Home Sweet Bunker

Summary: Sam, meet SARAH.

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"Here we are, home sweet bunker," Sheriff Carter told Sam as they pulled up in front of his residence.

"Reminds me of the base," Sam quipped as they climbed out of the Jeep and headed inside.

"SARAH, door!" Jack called as he led his sister down the stairs into his house. With a hiss, the door slowly opened.

"I'm detecting an unknown person with you, Sheriff. Please identify yourself," came a female voice, spoken from seemingly nowhere.

"SARAH, this is my sister, Doctor Samantha Carter. She's a Colonel in the United States Air Force," Jack replied. "Sam, this is my house, SARAH. It stands for Self Actuated... something or other."

"SARAH stands for Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat, Sheriff Carter. You should know that by now. It is a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Doctor Carter," SARAH called back.

"Please, call me Sam or just Colonel Carter. I never use Doctor in my title," she instructed the house.

"Sheriff Carter, why have you never mentioned having a sister?" SARAH demanded.

"Oh, come on! I must have mentioned her before!" he cried out.

"You have not. I have recorded every conversation we have ever had, and I do not recall any mention of family besides your ex-wife and your daughter," the house stated.

"Want something to drink, Sam?" the Sheriff asked.

"A glass of orange juice would be great. Thanks," she responded.

"It will be my pleasure, since I will be the one preparing all of the food and drinks," SARAH answered instead.

"Oh, SARAH, don't start that again!" Jack groaned.

Before a full-blown argument could ensue, a blonde-haired tornado came rushing down the stairs.

"Aunt Sam!" Zoë squealed, almost bowling over her aunt with a flying leap when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, Zoë, let me look at you! You look beautiful!" Sam crowed. "You are growing up so fast!"

"Don't remind me," Jack groused from the kitchen.

"No, DO remind him, please!" Zoë pleaded. "He still treats me like I'm a little kid."

"I'm a father. It's my job!" he cracked, causing Zoë to roll her eyes.

Sam grinned at the playful banter, feeling immediately more comfortable. It reminded her quite a bit of Jack and Daniel's interactions.

"Speaking of being a father, how is ours doing? I haven't heard from him in… well, a long time. Have you?" Jack queried.

"I haven't heard from him in quite a while, either. I was almost completely out of contact while I was on assignment. We'll have to ask the General at lunch. He speaks to him much more frequently," she admitted.

"You really like this guy, don't you?" Jack pried. "I can see it in the way you look at him and talk about him."

Sam shyly smiled and dropped her head, nodding a little.

"I'm glad to hear it. You deserve to be happy," Jack pronounced. "I'll do my best to get to know him while you're here."

"You're really going to like him," Sam opined. "You guys have a lot in common."

"By the way, how long are you staying here?" Zoë probed.

"Jack will probably be here all week on business, so we've already cleared our schedules to be here at least that long. If there are no emergencies calling us home, we may get to stay a little longer," she explained.

"Sheriff Carter, it is almost noon. If you wish to make it to Café Diem on time, you must leave immediately!" SARAH announced.

"Thanks SARAH," Jack gratefully replied. "Wait, how do you know when we're supposed to be meeting?"

"You told Zoë when you called to let her know you were on your way back from the airport. As I told you just moments ago, if you were listening, I monitor all conversations made within my walls," the house reported.

"OK, that's creepy. From now on, don't do that. SARAH, door!" he called as he started towards the exit. When the door didn't open, he yelled for SARAH to open the door again.

"You do not need to shout at me, Sheriff. You could try being polite," SARAH pointed out.

"SARAH, would you PLEASE open the door?" he soothed while rolling his eyes at the two women behind him trying valiantly to control their laughter. They were failing miserably.

"Certainly, Sheriff. Have a nice meal!"

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Published 04-19-09


	4. Café Diem

Summary: What are the chances that lunch at Café Diem _won't _be interrupted by a crisis?

------------

"Sorry we're late. SARAH was having a temper tantrum," Jack apologized as he, Sam, and Zoë joined Allison and General O'Neill around a table at Café Diem.

"SARAH doesn't have temper tantrums," came a voice from a nearby booth.

"Fargo, need I remind you of when she trapped us in there? And I wasn't talking to you, so mind your own business," Jack rebutted.

"Carter?" Allison interrupted.

"Yes?" both siblings answered at the same time.

"Sorry. Jack?"

"Yes?" both the Sheriff and the General responded at the same time, causing both Zoë and Sam to laugh.

"OK, let's try one last time. Sheriff?" Allison attempted.

"Yes?" everyone else at the table replied. Zoë and Sam promptly broke into giggles again. O'Neill smirked. The Sheriff wore a patient look. Allison threw up her hands in frustration.

"Never mind," she grumped.

"All right, guys. Knock it off. Allison, what's up?" Sheriff Carter asked.

"I need you and your sister to interrupt your lovely vacation and come up to Global Dynamics after lunch," she stated with a little venom.

"Please tell me no one has ripped _another_ hole in the fabric of the universe or accidentally turned on another doomsday weapon!" he plead.

"Not today," she reassured. "Not yet, at least. We were testing a prototype for an anti-gravity belt. Now our scientist doesn't want to come down off the ceiling. He's muttering something about a game of PitchCar."

"Are we talking 'Ultraviolet' here?" the Sheriff probed.

"No, it's not producing any detectable electromagnetic activity," Allison responded.

"I, uh, meant the movie," he clarified. When she stared blankly back at him, he continued. "You know, Milla Jovovich. She had a device that let her run on the ceiling and drive her motorcycle up the side of a building? You know what? Never mind. I'll come up and see if I can talk him down."

"But why do you need me?" Sam puzzled.

"Ah, that's for my benefit," General O'Neill interjected. "You know how I am around a bunch of science geeks. No offense, ladies. They just start talking and before they've even finished the first sentence, either I've tuned out or I'm completely lost. I need you to translate for me."

The Sheriff laughed at that comment. He could completely relate to the sentiment. He knew then that he and the General would get along just fine.

"What can I get for you folks today?" Vincent inquired as he stepped up to the table.

"What's on the menu?" O'Neill asked.

"Anything you want. Just name it and I can fix it," came the reply.

"Well, in that case, I'd like a caribou steak, medium, sweet potato fries, and some Jaffa Cakes," O'Neill quickly ordered.

"Oh, I do enjoy a challenge!" Vincent chortled.

"That sounds good. I'll have the same," the Sheriff echoed. "Oh, and can I get a diet soda?"

"What is it with you Carters and diet soda?" Jack mumbled under his breath. Directing his next statement to Vincent, he ordered a glass of Black Cherry Tab. For some reason, Sam smirked at that, but the General wasn't quite sure why.

The ladies each ordered a salad, earning them a few brief minutes of teasing (Sam less so for her steak salad) before their meals quickly arrived.

Twenty minutes later, as everyone was finishing up their meals, Sheriff Carter heard the door open and the customer take a few steps inside. When the combat boots that could only belong to one person scuffed to an abrupt halt, he heard Jo snap to attention and call out a curt, "Sir!"

"At ease, soldier," O'Neill called back with levity. Since he had been in the first group to arrive at the diner, after pulling out a chair for Dr. Blake he had chosen a seat facing the doorway for himself. When he had seen Jo crossing the sidewalk and heading towards their position, he couldn't suppress the grin. He knew exactly how she would react well before she even noticed he was there. After all, you may be able to take the girl out of the military, but you can't take away a lifetime of training.

"It's great to see you again, Jo. Have a seat," Sam said, rising to offer hers up.

"No, ma'am," Jo quickly deferred. "I couldn't impose."

"Nonsense. It's no trouble at all," the General scoffed. "We're almost done, but you can stay and chat with us for a few minutes."

"I really should just grab my lunch and get back to the office," Jo hemmed and hawed.

"Stay, Jo," the Sheriff ordered. "If anything happens and we get a call in the next few minutes, it'll just ring through to my …"

Before he could finish the statement, he was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing.

"Sheriff Carter… No, Taggart, you cannot use a pheromone solution to trap Lojack… Do you remember the last time someone grew some genetically engineered psychotropic plants? Because I do, and I do NOT want a repeat performance, especially when you're screwing with mental and physiological attractions… No, I will not reconsider… Goodbye, Taggart!"

"Busy day?" Sam asked with a quirk of her lips.

"Nah, couldn't be slower," Jo retorted.

"Psychotropic, pheromone producing plants? Sounds like a good story," O'Neill quipped. When both Jo and Allison started to blush, his face split into a wide, wry grin. "Oh, I'm betting that this is a VERY good story!"

"Oh, yeah," the Sheriff enthused. When his response was greeted by glares from Jo and Allison, he grinned and turned to the General. "We'll talk later," he promised.

"Hey, if you throw in a cold beer while watching the Cubs in their playoff run this afternoon, you've got my idea of heaven," O'Neill commented.

"Oh, we are SO on the same page!" the Sheriff cried in agreement.

All four women just rolled their eyes.

"So, what made you leave the SGC, Lupo?" O'Neill questioned

"Well, sir, it just wasn't the same after you two left. And with the defeat of…"

She was interrupted by coughs from both of her former superior officers and matching warning looks.

"Our major enemies," she continued, avoiding the revelation of any information that was still classified and hadn't been disclosed to Sheriff Carter and Zoë yet, "and the funding cutbacks, I figured it was time to move on. Besides, they let me stay locked and loaded all the time around here. I don't have to disarm after each, uh, mission. Plus I get to use the really big guns."

"You know, you're going to tell me this evening anyway. Why are you still being so elusive?" the Sheriff complained.

"Because it's fun to torture you," Sam gibed. She was answered with smirks all around as well as hearty nods from Jo and Zoë. "Besides, out in public isn't really the place to discuss this. It's so secret that there's only a couple of people in Eureka that have the clearance to know about it."

"As much fun as this has been, we do need to get back to GD," Allison regretfully informed them.

"Jo, can you take Zoë with you? I'm sure she's got some homework to finish," Sheriff Carter asked as they all started to leave.

"Gee, thanks," Zoë and Jo objected in stereo.

The Sheriff just smiled. "You're welcome," he called over his shoulder as the group heading for Global left the restaurant.

"Don't worry, I've got some new magazines for you," Zoë appeased as she and Jo followed suit, heading in the opposite direction.

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Published 04-20-09


	5. Oh Gravity

Summary: Once again, Sheriff Carter must save the day.

------------

After waiting for his sister to get through the security checkpoint, Jack and Sam parted ways, each heading off to fulfill their allotted task. Allison directed the Sheriff to the research lab while Fargo took Sam on a quick tour. General O'Neill had already headed off to the main conference room to begin his next meeting.

"So, what exactly am I supposed to do?" Jack inquired to Allison as they exited the elevator and headed for Section 7.

"First of all, we need to check the device and make sure it's still operating within normal parameters. We're not sure how long the belt can remain active before it fails. And we don't even know for sure what will happen when it fails. We also don't know what effect prolonged usage will have on the wearer," Allison explained.

"So, get the scientist, who might be glowing, down off the ceiling before the belt fails and hurts him," Jack summarized.

Allison frowned at him. "There's no danger of radioactive leak. And the room is padded, so if the device gives out and he falls, he won't be injured."

"And what if it explodes instead of just shutting off?" Jack queried.

"That won't happen," she reassured him.

"Right," he scoffed. "Before I start, what's the scientist's name?"

"Dr. James Ernest," she supplied as they reached the testing laboratory. "He's our leading gravitologist."

"Your what?" Jack asked.

"He's our expert on gravity," she explained as the reached the door of the lab.

"Oh. OK. Well, let's get this show on the road," he ordered as he entered the room. "Dr. Ernest, would you please turn the device off?"

"No," came the quick reply.

"Why not?" Carter asked.

"I'm afraid of falling," he admitted.

"All right, I'm going to send someone to get Henry's lift thingy. Then I'll come up and help you down. How does that sound?" Jack probed.

"I'd appreciate it, Sheriff," the Doctor acquiesced.

"Carter, we can't use Henry's lift. We don't know what kind of interactions the different technologies would have with each other," Allison interjected.

"Well, then, we'll just have to use a ladder," Jack declared. Then a thought struck him. "You DO have regular ladders around here, don't you?"

"Of course," Allison dismissed, sending one of the lab technicians off in search of the decidedly low-tech device.

Several minutes later, the ladder was set up underneath the scared scientist. He had sat down on the ceiling, wrapping his legs around a light bar so he wouldn't fall if the device suddenly malfunctioned.

Sheriff Carter climbed up the ladder, and when he reached the top, he held out his hand for the man. "All right, Doctor. I'm right here. Take my hand. _Whoa_!!!"

As he touched the man's hand, the gravity belt's effects extended, redirecting the Sheriff's gravity and throwing him flat onto his stomach on the ceiling. Surprised, the doctor let go of the Sheriff's hand. For a fraction of a second, Jack stayed on the ceiling. Then, just as suddenly as he had been affected, the gravitational field returned to normal and he was plummeting back to the ground. About 3 feet down, his fall was broken by a ladder in the small of his back. Hitting that bumped him off to the side, where he dropped the rest of the way to the floor.

"Carter! Are you OK?" a very worried Allison called out to him as she rushed to his side.

"I'm fine!" he responded, sitting up gingerly and rubbing his back. "You're right. The floor was nice and soft. The ladder? Not so much. Let's _not_ do that again!"

"Sit still. I'm going to check you out," Allison directed as she started to examine his back.

"I'm flattered, Allie, but do you really think this is the right time?" Jack jested with a smirk. A moment later, he had earned himself a slap on the shoulder to distract him from the pain in his back.

"Why do you keep calling me Allie?" she demanded.

"I always…" he started to say before he realized that he was falling back into habits from the time line Allison hadn't yet experienced.

"Sorry," he apologized, quickly wiping the grin from his face. "I didn't know it bothered you. I'll try not to do it again."

"It doesn't bother me," Allison quickly reassured him. "Well, it does bother me, but only because it feels a little too personal, at least right now. Maybe it'll be OK at some point, but not yet."

"I think I can live with that," the Sheriff agreed. "So, how are we going to get Dr. Ernest off of the ceiling?"

"Give us a few minutes to see if we can come up with another idea," Allison implored.

"Why can't he just walk over to the wall and walk down it?" Jack mused aloud.

"Don't you think we already suggested that?" Allison asked defensively.

"Yes, but you said before that he didn't WANT to come down," he pointed out. "It seems like he does want down now."

"Can you give walking down the wall a try, please, Doctor?" he called up to the ceiling.

"Yes, Sheriff," the scientist dutifully replied. He got up and walked over to the wall farthest from the door. He lay down on his back and planted his feet on the wall. As soon as he did that, he felt the gravity device shift, a fact that he relayed to the team on the ground. After he walked down the wall and reached the floor, he turned around to lean with his back on the floor before reaching down to turn off the belt.

"Thank you, Sheriff," Allison said with a very relieved expression on her face.

"Anytime," he quickly acceded.

"It won't turn off!" came a panicked voice from the floor in front of them.

"What?" Allison cried in shock.

"What?" Jack called in resigned frustration.

"Well, it looks like it's off, but my gravity is still directed towards the wall," Dr. Ernest informed them.

"Try taking off the belt and see if you can still walk on the wall," the Sheriff commanded.

"Carter? What are you thinking," Allison challenged.

"Just wait and see," he entreated.

The Doctor did as he was asked and was still able to walk on the wall.

"OK, I'd suggest laying back down and staying put for a few minutes and then trying again later," he said to the scientist.

He turned to Allison and gave his explanation. "You said you didn't know what the side effects could be, right? Well, I noticed that after he let go of me, I stayed on the ceiling for a split second before gravity suddenly glanced sharply in my direction and demanded to know what I was doing. I suspect the device alters the body, at least temporarily. The length of its effect is probably based on exposure time. Dr. Ernest would probably be OK moving his feet back to the floor and going back about his business, but staying here in the padded room seems like a good idea for now. I'm guessing the effects will wear off soon and are only noticeable due to the amount of time that he was wearing the device."

Allison looked at him flabbergasted. "I'm not sure that makes sense scientifically," she objected.

"And yet all the evidence looks like I'm right," Jack taunted, turning to leave the room. "Come on, let's go find my sister."

-------

Published 04-22-09


	6. Status Report

Summary: Meetings with Jack O'Neill never fail to be interesting...

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Major General Jack O'Neill was rarely surprised by Colonel Samantha Carter anymore. She never failed to come up with ideas that would save the world from cataclysmic disasters. She made it a habit to redefine the laws of physics annually, if not more frequently than that. She could out shoot most Special Forces snipers.

Her reaction when she entered the conference room, though, managed to catch him totally off guard.

Douglas Fargo opened the door and led Sam into the room. "Major Carter, let me introduce you to the director of GD…"

"Nathan Stark," Sam icily interjected.

Jack had rarely seen Sam that cold when they weren't being tortured by some snake or other. She was wearing an expression of utter contempt usually reserved for Goa'uld System Lords, the (presumably) late Senator Kinsey, or, occasionally, Rodney McKay.

"Samantha! What a pleasant surprise," Doctor Nathan Stark smugly greeted.

"I take it you've met?" Fargo stated, needlessly pointing out the obvious.

"Dr. Stark was one of the so-called 'experts' consulted while I was building my particle beam generator," Sam spat out.

"And I told her it couldn't be done and all the reasons why," Nathan supplied. "And since I haven't heard anything more about it in, what has it been, 8 years, I was obviously right, as usual."

Sam was using all of her self-control to not wipe the gloating smirk off of his face, either with her words or her fist. She had to clench her jaw down with extreme force not to reveal a project that was still highly classified. She had published a paper on her findings with the government, but the security surrounding it was need to know. Even though he was the director of one of the most powerful research companies in a town so secret it didn't even appear on satellite images, Stark still hadn't been allowed to see the report. She was about 10 seconds from decking him, and General O'Neill sitting there like a Cheshire cat, obviously enjoying the situation, wasn't helping, either.

Oblivious to the internal debate that was painfully obvious to the General, Nathan shifted his attention to the man still hanging about near the doorway, momentarily preventing Sam from melting down or blowing a fuse. "Fargo, you're dismissed."

"But I'm supposed to stay with Colonel Carter while..." Fargo started to protest.

Nathan cut him off. "Fargo. Leave."

The man's shoulders slumped in defeat as he shuffled back out the door, leaving just Nathan, Jack, and Sam to their discussion.

"What projects are we reviewing today?" Sam was finally able to grit out.

"I was trying to explain the progress we've been making in creating force shields and why it is critical to continue funding the project. But I swear it's like talking to a five year old with ADD. He just keeps wanting to go back to the projects that go '_Boom_!' It's like trying to explain things to Carter," Nathan grumbled.

"Excuse me?" both Jack and Sam indignantly objected at the same time, though for different reasons.

"Sheriff Carter," Nathan clarified. "Huh, you have the same name. Anyway, Samantha, maybe you can explain to him why it's so important to continue this research."

"Sure," Sam agreed, surprising both of the other occupants of the room. "I'd be happy to. Just as soon as you explain to me why it's so important."

"Samantha!" Nathan objected.

"And please call me Colonel," Sam demanded.

"All right, Colonel," Nathan said with obvious distaste. "There are many practical applications for force field technology. For example, with an energy shield, we could prevent the damage caused by many of the roadside bombings in the Middle East."

"And have you made them wearable?" Sam interrupted.

"Well, no," Nathan responded.

"Have you even made them portable?" Sam continued.

"Not yet, but…" Nathan tried to say before Sam butted in again.

"Is it even close to being feasible compared to conventional armor?"

"No," Nathan ground out.

"Then how am I supposed to convince the General if you can't even convince me?" Sam pointedly questioned.

"Because you're supposed to see the scientific ramifications and long-term benefits as well as the short-term practical applications!" Nathan countered. "Besides, this has applications to your work as well."

He turned his focus down to the stack of papers in front of him on the conference table, searching for the notes he had made about the SGC.

Sam took that moment to shoot Jack a quick look, to which he minutely shook his head.

"I didn't know you were the expert being sent along with the General," Dr. Stark said dismissively when he found the information he was looking for, "but I did look at the background information available to me about your project. You're working somewhere called the SGC, which is an extension of Area 51. Your mission is to build spacecraft for the exploration of the galaxy and, if necessary, provide defense against any enemies found out there. Which is, I assume, why you were trying to build a particle beam generator; to have some sort of energy based weapon. There are notes about some test flights during the last five years, but no mentions of the success or failure of those trials."

Sam glanced again at Jack. For a few moments they held a silent conversation before he decided to speak.

"Dr. Stark, would you leave the room for a minute so I can talk to Colonel Carter alone?" he politely said, more as an order than a question.

For a moment, Nathan looked like he was going to object. Since he was trying to be on his best behavior in front of the man that was going to help determine the future of his funding and his projects, though, he decided it was best to step outside and let them have their moment. It would probably be the quickest way to get this meeting over with, anyway.

As the door slid open and Nathan stepped outside, Jack and Sam heard hurried footsteps and a voice that was quickly growing familiar.

"Dr. Stark! Is the meeting over? Have they agreed to continue funding our research? Do they have anything…"

The door closed, silencing the noise outside and leaving Jack and Sam alone.

"How do we want to handle this, sir?" Sam asked.

"We let him continue thinking he's got everything figured out. He's got parts right, anyway, and I think it's enough to allow him to work on the projects we're going to be assigning here. If we need to correct him in order to explain something, we can. He has the proper clearance and has signed all of the confidentiality agreements, but if it doesn't directly relate to what and why he needs to know, everything is to remain under wraps."

"All right, sir," Sam responded as she went over to the door to allow Nathan back into the room.

As the door, opened, they could hear Nathan calling out down the hallway. "Fargo! Go get something accomplished. I know you have work to do while I'm stuck in this meeting."

He turned back to the doorway and reentered the room, reclaiming his seat and looking impatiently back at the other occupants of the room.

"Dr. Stark, let me remind you that what we are about to discuss with you is covered under your Non-Disclosure Agreement. If you reveal anything you are about to hear, you will be guilty of treason. And, well, let's just say there would be a fate way nastier than death awaiting you," Jack said with an almost evil smile. He turned to Sam and gave her a nod to continue.

"The Air Force has been using force shields for over half a decade due to technology we've acquired through the SGC. We've even had the assistance of alien races that we've met through the program in perfecting ours. Your research is so far behind that it's not even worth continuing," she declared.

"Why hasn't this been brought to my attention before?" Nathan demanded.

"It's need-to-know, and you didn't," Jack informed him.

"So, what has changed? Why am I now important enough to be told?" Nathan testily asked.

"We want to start developing some of the technology we've been acquiring off world for commercial applications. We think the best way to do that is to allow Global Dynamics to reverse engineer and reproduce some of the more practical devices," Sam expounded.

"Like what?" Nathan asked dubiously.

"Transport beaming technology, for one," Jack replied.

"Right," Nathan scoffed.

Sam smirked. Jack raised an eyebrow before wordlessly pulling out his cell phone and sending a text message. A few seconds later, a brilliant flash of white light filled the room. When it disappeared, only Sam and Nathan were still there.

"What was that?" Nathan gasped.

"The transport beam you didn't think existed," Sam retorted, feeling very self-satisfied.

A half minute later, another white light filled the room, returning General O'Neill. Taking in the shocked expression on Nathan's face, he said the first thing that came to mind: "Sweet."

After a few moments, Nathan finally recovered. "It seems you've already got beaming technology. What do you expect us to do?"

"What we have was alien produced and requires locater beacons. The General and I each have had subcutaneous transmitters implanted for just that reason," Sam explained.

"Those signals, by the way, easily penetrated your EM barrier. You're gonna have to do something about that," Jack interjected.

"We can give you the instructions on how the beaming technology works," Sam said, picking back up their tag-team explanation. "You'll need to figure out a way to produce the components and develop a source and destination targeting system."

"Oh, is that all?" Nathan snarked.

"No, that's not all," Jack shot back.

"You also have to add fail safes to prevent this being used as a weapons delivery system," Sam added. "The last thing we want is for some terrorists to decide to use this to beam nuclear warheads into the middle of major cities on their twisted whim. We think the best way would be to limit destinations to other beaming stations. You'll have to figure out how to coordinate the transmissions between locations."

Jack slid a sheet of paper containing the project specifications to Nathan. They gave him a few minutes to absorb the information and start to process it in his head before moving on to the next order of business.

"Now, let's talk about energy-based weapons. Specifically, non-lethal ones," Jack said.

"Those we have under control," Nathan dismissed.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," Nathan retorted.

"What about the incident with my brother?" Sam asked pointedly. "If it wasn't for a miraculous intervention, he would have died!"

"There were extenuating circumstan… Wait, your _brother_?" Nathan choked out.

Sam smirked at the suddenly slack-jawed director of GD. "Yes, Sheriff Jack Carter."

"Didn't you notice the family resemblance?" Jack cracked.

For a few glorious seconds, Sam basked in the glory of rendering Nathan Stark speechless.

"If it hadn't been for the energy absorbed and amplified by Carl Carlson, the Sheriff would have only suffered some superficial burns. There wouldn't have been any permanent damage," he rationalized when he finally regained control of his jaw.

"Well, we have acquired a weapon that does no bodily damage but will stun just about any target," Jack told him.

"Sure," Nathan sarcastically replied.

Jack and Sam looked at each other, having a silent conversation for several moments. He nodded and handed her an S-shaped handheld device that he had brought with him when he was beamed back into the room. With one quick movement, Sam released the weapon into firing position and shot off a blue wave of energy. Nathan had no chance to react before he crumpled forward onto the table, twitching and unconscious.

Sam gave Jack her biggest smile as she closed the weapon. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that! It felt so good!"

Jack laughed. "Oh, I'm starting to get an idea."

Sam's grin turned a little evil. "You sure I can't shoot twice more and never have to deal with him again?"

Jack laughed again. "It's tempting, but I'm pretty sure that would cause some backlash."

"Are you sure we can't just sign him out for lunch, put a sign on his desk saying: 'Missing: Presumed Fed' and hope no one notices?" Sam pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure," he begrudgingly said.

A few minutes later, a groan from the other end of the table alerted the quietly conversing pair that Stark was regaining consciousness. "WHAT was THAT?" he cried.

"A shot from a zat'ni'katel," Sam stated.

"We call it getting zatted," Jack said.

"Fun, aren't they?" Sam taunted as she opened the zat back up.

"Don't do it again!" Nathan pleaded.

Sam laughed as she closed the weapon again. "We won't. At least not right now. A second blast too soon would kill you. You'd probably be OK, but the General won't let me take that risk."

"We would like to develop these for crowd control. In order to make them safe, that's one of the nasty little side effects you'll need to get rid of," Jack continued. "Not to mention that you'll need to make them using native Earth elements, since it uses a power cell based on an element not found on Earth."

"Can I see that?" Nathan asked?

"No," Sam and Jack replied in unison. They could both see the cold, calculating glint in Stark's eyes and weren't anxious to be shot again any time soon.

"We'll send one later for you to study," Jack informed him.

Just then, the door to the conference room slid open. Allison Blake and Jack Carter strolled in, oblivious to what had occurred in the previous few minutes.

"Ah, Dr. Blake, Sheriff Carter, perfect timing," O'Neill called to them. He turned back to Nathan. "I believe we're done here?"

"We've barely even started!" Nathan protested.

"Right," the General interrupted, ignoring the sputtering man. He turned to face the newcomers and attempted to usher them out of the room. "So, who else is ready for a beer?"

"Sir, I think we should finish this now," Sam told him.

"Et tu, Carter?" he moaned. After she gave him an apologetic grimace, he continued. "You're supposed to be on vacation. So go, vacate. Besides, I already read all of the project reports before we arrived."

"_You_ read your _paperwork_?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, well, being a General does have its drawbacks," he returned. He paused for a minute and thought. "Before we go, there's one other project I'd like to discuss. You recently asked for something called Project Top Speed to be given highest priority?"

"Ah, yes," Nathan responded. "One of our interns developed a formula that would allow the user to develop superhuman abilities including enhanced speed and strength."

General O'Neill and Colonel Carter shared a nervous look. It sounded uncannily similar to the effects of the Atoniek armbands they had used years earlier.

The Sheriff gave a visible shudder. "Is that the speed boost juice that Zoe's boyfriend made and that Fargo and those Section 5 guys got hooked on a few months ago? That stuff has some nasty side effects. I can't believe you're seriously considering continuing use of it!"

Nathan ground his teeth together. "Yes, it's based on the formula developed by young Mr. Hartwell, but we've made significant improvements since then."

"Like getting rid of the shakes, mood swings, and metabolic crash when coming down off of it?" the Sheriff pressed.

Nathan turned to face him. "Decreasing the potency of the drug has greatly reduced the negative side effects, though it also has slightly lowered the potential benefit from the... Why am I explaining this to you?" He turned towards General O'Neill and was about to resume his explanation when the General held up a hand to stop him.

"I think I get the idea. Upside: Speed and strength. Downside: Chemical dependency. And I'm guessing there are diminishing returns from continued use, right? And big time side effects from overuse of the drug, like organ failure?"

Nathan hesitated before he nodded his response.

The General frowned and paused a moment before he continued. "All right. You can continue the experiments for now, but I want detailed weekly reports of the trials. And I mean about _all_ effects of the drug. If I get even so much as a _hint_ of information being concealed, or if the results do not show a high enough risk to reward ratio, I'll pull the plug so fast it'll cause a sonic boom. Understood?"

Nathan gulped. "Yes, sir. You'll have no problems."

The Sheriff snorted. "Yeah, how often does a GD project go off without a hitch?" he quipped.

O'Neill ignored his aside. His face visibly brightened. "Now, there's a Cubs game on that's calling my name from the Sheriff's house and a cold beer that's making it a duet."

"Oh, that's music to my ears, too," Sheriff Carter seconded. The Jacks ushered Allison and Sam out of the room and headed towards the elevator. "Allison, are you coming, too?"

"No. I've got piles of work to finish up here. My son Kevin and I are planning on watching a marathon of his favorite show tonight, too," she responded.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" the Sheriff inquired.

"Wormhole X-treme."

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Published 04-23-09


	7. Let's Get Ready for Dinner!

Summary: A secret is revealed. But not the one Sheriff Carter had wanted to learn...

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"Dinner is ready," SARAH informed the assembled group.

The Jacks got up off the couch, having just finished and thoroughly enjoyed the game, the beers and the conversation. Zoë came downstairs from her room and Sam shut down her laptop, clearing it from the dining room table as she walked towards the kitchen.

"The meal looks wonderful, SARAH," Sam told the house. There were plates already prepared with chicken parmesan, fettuccine alfredo and garlic bread. Next to each plate was a small house salad, complete with each person's preferred dressing.

"Thank you, Colonel Carter," came the non-corporeal voice.

"So, when were you planning on letting us in on your little secret?" Sheriff Carter probed.

General O'Neill and Sam exchanged a quick, surprised look. "What secret is that?" Jack asked, playing dumb as he was wont to do.

"What you do for a living, of course!" Zoë cried out.

"After dinner. I've uploaded some visual aids to SARAH, so after we're done with our meal, we can move to the couches and discuss in comfort," Sam explained.

"And believe me, you're going to want to be sitting down for this!" the General interjected.

"Ah, Sam! Come on, already! You're killing me with the waiting!" the Sheriff complained.

"What else would you expect from your little sister?" Sam teased.

As everyone gathered their plates and drinks and moved to the dining room, the General turned to look at Sam. After a few moments of silent conversation and an agreeing nod, he refocused his attention on Jack and Zoë. "Well, we do have one piece of information to give you now. Last week, Sam agreed to marry me."

"Oh, Aunt Sam! I'm so happy for you!" Zoë squealed, setting her plate down before running over and giving her a big hug.

"Married? I didn't even know you were dating!" the Sheriff exploded, going into over-protective father mode. "I mean, congratulations, of course, but I need some more details. How long have you been dating? When are you --"

"Do you have the ring? Let me see it!" Zoë demanded, interrupting her father's inquisition.

Sam reached into her shirt and pulled out her dog tags. Attached to the chain was a beautiful princess cut diamond in a silvery setting. She disconnected the chain, removing the ring and handing it to Zoë.

"What kind of metal is this ring, Aunt Sam? I've never seen anything like it before," Zoë stated as she admired the craftsmanship.

"It's a very special, very rare element not found in nature," O'Neill quickly explained.

"It's not radioactive, is it?" the Sheriff nervously asked, glancing at the item still in his daughter's hand.

"Yeah, Jack, my fiancé gave me a toxic ring to tell me just how he feels about me," Sam snarked. "Of course it's safe!"

"Wait a second. I thought all the synthetic elements had short half-lives and were extremely unstable," Zoë queried as she handed the ring back to her Aunt.

Sam put it on her finger instead of reattaching it to her dog tag chain before giving her niece an impressed smile. "Someone's been studying their chemistry. While that's true for most unnatural elements, we have managed to discover a few that are stable enough for practical use."

"Ack, Carter, you're giving me a headache," the General complained.

"Oh, stop playing dumb, Jack. You're not as dense as you pretend, and we all know it," she shot back.

Both men had matching surprised looks. Sam belatedly realized the comment had applied to both of them. Not bothering to disambiguate the statement, she decided a change of subjects was in order. "Let's forget about it for now and enjoy the meal, shall we?"

No sooner had the statement left Sam's mouth than the aroma of their dinner wafted up, causing everyone to realize just how hungry they were.

After everyone had taken a seat and started their meals, the Sheriff reopened his earlier interrogation. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"Well, that's a very simple question with a very complex answer," O'Neill responded.

"We've been a couple for about 3 years, though it hasn't ever been public knowledge. Before that, Jack was my commanding officer for 8 years," Sam explained.

"What's so complicated about that?" the Sheriff wondered aloud.

"Zoë, how much do you understand about parallel universes?" Sam asked.

Zoë was thrown by the question for a moment but quickly answered. "Well, the general theory is that there are an infinite number of alternate realities because one is created by every decision."

"At least one, since in some cases it's not a simple choice. Well, in the first year we knew each other, we were confronted with a parallel universe in which we were engaged. In the third year, we had an encounter with one where we were married. In the fourth year, we had to admit to having feelings for each other that were much more than were allowed," Sam elaborated.

"Why weren't they allowed? I mean, if you cared so much about each other, what took you so long to get together?" Zoë pressed.

"We had to keep saving the world," the General quipped.

Zoë and the Sheriff laughed. O'Neill and Sam didn't.

"Wait, you're serious, aren't you?" the Sheriff asked when he noticed the looks of reflection on their faces. At their answering nods, he added another question. "How many times?"

"I've lost track," the General admitted. "Murray would know for sure. Last I checked, we were well over a dozen, I think."

"Why couldn't you be together and still do your job?" a befuddled Zoë asked.

"The Air Force has very strict regulations on 'Unprofessional Conduct' and would have never let us continue working on the same team if we were dating or married," Sam replied. "Our job was so important that they couldn't split us apart, either. And even for the last 3 years, though we've been off of the same team and officially dating, we haven't been able to spend much time with each other. One of us has pretty much always been out of contact or on assignment."

"So, you've been in love since I was in, like, second grade and you're just now able to get together? That's so tragic!" Zoë opined.

"Does Dad know?" the Sheriff asked his sister.

"Are you kidding? He won like $1,000 in the betting pool on when I would finally ask," the General butted in. "Jake loves me! Almost as much as --"

"Dad was the first one, after our team, to find out," Sam interrupted, cutting Jack off from spilling anything yet without thinking.

"Almost as much as whom?" Zoë pressed, curious about what the General was going to say.

"One of Dad's closest friends. Good ol' 'Mak," O'Neill remarked, earning a roll of the eyes as well as a wry grin from Sam.

"So, when is the wedding going to be?" the Sheriff asked.

"We aren't entirely certain when it will be yet," Sam answered. "With Jack's work schedule and me just coming back from my extended assignment and waiting for my next posting, we haven't really had much time to think about it. We'd like it to be soon, and we have an idea for where, but we haven't reached many final decisions about it yet."

"We have decided a few things, though. We would like to have both of you stand up in the wedding," O'Neill added. "Jack, I'd like to have you as a groomsman."

"I'd be honored," the Sheriff said.

"Zoë, I'd like you to be a bridesmaid," Sam told her.

"Really? That'd be awesome!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Have you decided who else is going to be in the wedding?" the Sheriff wondered aloud.

"Yes, we have," Sam responded. "My bridesmaids will be my teammate Vala, Cassandra Frasier, and Zoë. My maid of honor will be Janet Frasier. Jack's groomsmen, besides you, will be Dr. Daniel Jackson and General Hammond. His best man will be Murray. You met all of them when you came to visit me in Colorado a couple years ago."

"What are your colors going to be? Have you picked the dresses yet?" Zoë inquired.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, I haven't had much time to think about it, but I'm hoping to get much of it done this week. Would you like to help me out?" Sam returned.

"Would I ever!" Zoë enthused. "This is going to be great! Eureka has some great little shops where I'm sure we can find everything you'll want."

Sam shot a conspiratorial grin at her brother. "Do you think Allison would like to join us?"

The Sheriff looked shocked and alarmed for a second. "Sam!" he reproached her. He quickly glanced at his daughter and was shocked for the second time in as many seconds as she didn't appear surprised with the question.

"Oh, come on, Dad," Zoë expounded. "You've been all googly-eyed over her since practically the minute you met her! I think it's time you did something about it, and I think Aunt Sam agrees, too."

"Let's talk about this later. I want to enjoy my meal without having to think about the machinations my daughter and little sister are making towards my love life, or lack thereof," he grumbled as he squirmed in his seat, dropping his gaze and focusing on his plate.

--------

Published 04-24-09


	8. Secrets Revealed

Summary: How will Jack & Zoë Carter react when they finally learn what Sam does for a living?

------------

An hour later, everyone was pleasantly full. The dinner conversation had mostly revolved around wedding plans, or at least the few that they had made so far. They had also talked about Zoë and the Sheriff's impressions of life in Eureka and, much to his chagrin, plans for Jack to woo Allison. As everyone adjourned from the table, they took their dishes into the kitchen for SARAH to clean. A few minutes later, they had gathered again on the couches in the living room.

"So, are we going to _finally_ find out what you've been doing for the last decade?" the Sheriff excitedly asked. He and Zoë were bouncing in their seats on the couch with anticipation.

"Yes," the General acknowledged as Sam pulled a pair of stacks of papers from her laptop case and proceeded to pass them to her family. "But first I'm going to need you both to sign these non-disclosure agreements. If you reveal any of the information you are about to receive to _anyone_, you can and will be arrested for violating national security."

With barely a glance, Zoë signed hers. The Sheriff took a few more minutes to look them over, but since they were nearly identical to the ones he'd had to autograph to get his job in Eureka, he signed his as well.

"It will come as no surprise to you that I don't actually work on 'Deep Space Radar Telemetry'," Sam started.

"No, really?" Zoë said sarcastically.

Sam grinned. Her niece reminded her strongly of both Jacks when they were impatient. "What I actually do, and have for the last 11 years, is to travel to other planets seeking technology and allies to maintain the safety of not just our planet but our entire galaxy as well as several others."

The Sheriff recoiled in shock, slumping back against the couch too stunned to speak.

Zoë, however, was not at a loss for words. "That's so cool! How do you travel to other planets? Do you have, like, your own space ship? Does it have, like, giant space lasers and stun cannons and shields and an engineer named Scotty to beam you up and stuff like that?"

"Whoa, Zoë, slow down," the General broke in.

"SARAH, can you please bring up the presentation?" Sam called out.

"Sure thing, Colonel Carter," the house answered, displaying a model of the Stargate up on the wall in front of them.

Sam continued her briefing. "In 1928 in Egypt, this device, known as the Stargate, was discovered. It wasn't until the mid 1990's that we figured out how to use it. What it does is to create an artificial wormhole between two Stargates on different planets through subspace. When you step through the 'gate, you are demolecularized and almost instantaneously transported to the other end. If you'll watch the video SARAH is showing, you'll see how it works."

They all watched security camera footage of SG-1 leaving on a mission. The explosion outward of the event horizon caused both Zoë and the Sheriff to jump. They watched in wonder as they saw the team walk up the ramp, step through the puddle, and disappear. A few moments later, the 'gate closed down, leaving no evidence that the team had stepped through just moments before.

"Cool!" Zoë couldn't help but blurt out.

The Sheriff finally regained enough composure to speak. "Other planets?"

Sam nodded. "For most of the last decade, I've been based out of Stargate Command, or, as we refer to it, the SGC, in Cheyenne Mountain where I've been a member of the premier first contact team known as SG-1. Several times a week, we travel through the 'gate to explore other planets and seek out alliances with any alien cultures we might encounter."

"Let me get this straight: my little sister travels to other planets for a living?" the Sheriff choked out in what was decidedly not his normal vocal register.

"Yes, Jack," Sam said slightly impatiently, getting tired of answering the same question repeatedly. "Can we move on now?"

"Aliens really do exist?" he shakily asked.

"Yes, they do," she replied.

"What do they look like? Are they all little green, bug-eyed tentacled beings with antennae? Or do they look like Marvin the Martian?" he pressed.

"Most of them look just like you and me. In fact, many of them are transplanted humans, abducted from Earth over the last 5,000 years. We have met a few races with obvious physical differences, but most of them are very human in form," she clarified.

"In fact, Murray, Vala and Cassie Frasier are all from other planets," O'Neill said.

"Cassie was the only survivor when her planet was wiped out by an evil alien ruler. Murray, whose real name is Teal'c, was a high-ranking servant to one of them before he joined our side to fight their oppression. Vala used to be a space pirate before she reformed and came to work with us," Sam expounded.

"So, you're like a galactic superhero?" an awestruck Zoë asked.

Sam offered her a somewhat nervous smile. "Not exactly," she admitted.

The General jumped in. "We're actually some of the most wanted people in the galaxy!"

At that revelation, Zoë got more excited while the Sheriff looked even more apprehensive.

"We have met a number of races that have become very strong allies," Sam explained.

"Like my buddy Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet," O'Neill interjected.

"We have also made some powerful enemies," she continued.

"Like the snake heads," he again interrupted, drawing a glare from Sam.

"Snake heads?" Zoë and the Sheriff questioned in unison.

"The Goa'uld," Sam clarified. "They are a parasitic race that physically resembles snakes. They take humans as hosts and control their bodies."

Jack picked up the explanation. "Their 'leadership,' if you could call it that, was a group known as the System Lords. They were mostly figures from ancient Egyptian mythology: Ra, Hathor, Anubis, Apophis, you get the idea. When we started killing them off, they put a huge price on our heads."

"Whoa, back up," the Sheriff demanded, putting a hand up. "How do these 'gould' take their hosts?"

"Usually, they burrow in through a person's neck and attach themselves directly to the brain," Sam said.

A shudder went through everyone else in the room, including the General, when thinking about that.

"And let me just say, EWWW!" Zoë moaned.

"Oh, that's not the worst of it," the General stated. "After they take your body over, you can still see and feel everything that they're doing with your own body, but you're powerless to control it. You're held prisoner in your own head. Trust me, it's no fun."

"There are some good Goa'uld, though," Sam defended, causing the General to snort in derision, though he held further comments. "They are a resistance movement known as the Tok'ra. They've been separate for over 2,000 years and are almost their own species now. They only take volunteer hosts and live symbiotically, sharing control of the body for up to hundreds of years."

"Why would anyone do that?" the Sheriff wondered aloud.

"Good question," O'Neill mumbled under his breath.

Sam glared at the General. "A Tok'ra symbiote can provide many advantages. The primary ones are an extended lifespan and the repair of many diseases unable to be cured by our current technology. They also increase the body's ability to heal from injury and give the host enhanced strength, stamina, and sensory perception."

"Speaking of the Tok'ra," O'Neill started before being quelled by another stern look from Sam. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She did the same in return.

"What about them?" the Sheriff asked, not understanding the interplay he had just seen.

The General gave Sam an apologetic shrug and let her continue.

"We were going to wait a little longer for this, but we have a special message from a member of the Tok'ra High Council just for you," she elaborated. She called out to have SARAH play the next video file and almost immediately a figure appeared on the screen clad in sand colored robes. He slowly pulled back the hood to reveal his face.

"Dad?"

"Grandpa!"

Both Zoë and the Sheriff were too stunned to say anything else before the man started speaking in a voice that was distinctly not human.

"Greetings, Jack and Zoë Carter. I am Selmak of the Tok'ra. I am glad that you have finally been given permission to be told about me. For the last 8 years, I have been blended with Jacob Carter. In that time, he has told me much about you. I have enjoyed his stories and also our encounters over that time, even though you were unaware of my presence. I regret that I cannot be there now to introduce myself in person, but I am needed here on matters of vital interest to the Tok'ra. I look forward to speaking with you face to face soon."

Jacob's head bowed and came back up. "Hey, kiddos," came the voice they were expecting to hear the first time from the man on the screen. "A lot to take in, isn't it? I'll be around as soon as I can to explain everything to you. Until then, I want you to listen to everything Sammie has to say. She knows almost as much as Selmak about some of this stuff. As for what Jack tells you, well, I'd take it with a whole truckload of salt! Well, I gotta go. People to see, places to go, evil dictators bent on galactic domination to topple. You know the drill. Hopefully, I'll see you soon. And I'm really glad you guys have found a good home in Eureka. Congratulations on the promotion, Jack!"

The video clip finished, leaving the Sheriff and Zoë with their mouths hanging open, stupefied. As usual, Zoë was the first to connect the dots.

"That's why Grandpa's cancer went into remission, isn't it?" she cried out. At Sam's nod, she continued. "That's why he's away on Air Force business so often, too, even though he's retired, isn't it?"

"I guess that's why Dad hasn't seemed to age in the last decade, either," the Sheriff mused. "Well, is that everything?"

The General spoke up again. "Not even close. There are still quite a few more things we need --"

Before he could finish his statement, a bright white light filled the room. When it disappeared, so had the General.

"All right, what the hell was that?" the Sheriff yelled.

Sam pulled out an earpiece from her pocket, ignoring the uproar in the room. "Odyssey, this is Carter. Did you just beam out the General?"

She waited, listening to the speaker on the other end and ignoring the hubbub around her for a few moments before she spoke again "Oh…"

Another minute passed before the next message came. "All right," she said. "I'll inform our hosts and be ready on your mark."

Turning back to her relatives, Sam calmed them down and explained what was happening. "Do you remember how Jack mentioned Thor earlier? Well, it appears he's come for a little visit. In a few minutes, we're going to be beamed up to his ship."

"So, it really is like Star Trek? Scotty's going to beam us up?" Jack cracked.

"More or less," Sam admitted.

She reached up and tapped her earpiece when it clicked again. "This is Carter… Copy that."

She turned back to Jack and Zoë. "Ready? Here we --"

Another white flash of light filled the room. A few seconds later, the only occupant left in the house was SARAH.

-----------

Published 04-26-09


	9. Take Me To Your Leader

Summary: Aliens, spaceships and the preservation of the species. Oh my!

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"Thor! Buddy! Long time, no see," Jack O'Neill called out as he rematerialized on board Thor's flagship.

"It is good to see you, too, O'Neill," the diminutive alien responded, crossing the room to shake Jack's hand.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but why am I here? I was in the middle of a meeting with some civilians when you beamed me out," Jack informed Thor.

"I contacted your office prior to my arrival, as we have previously agreed, and they said you were available. I was not told that there were any people present who did not know of my existence. I hope that I have not caused you any problems," Thor worriedly replied.

"No, I think it'll be OK," Jack responded. "Carter and I were explaining to her family about the SGC. We had mentioned that you exist, but we hadn't gotten to explaining anything about you."

A warning sounded and an image of Colonel Emerson on the bridge of the Odyssey appeared on the screen behind Thor's console.

"Commander Thor, welcome to Earth. Did you by chance just beam up General O'Neill?" Emerson asked.

"I did," Thor replied. They saw the Colonel turn his head and speak into his earpiece.

"Hey, Thor, would it be OK if you beamed up Carter and her family?" Jack asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"I do not see a problem with that, O'Neill," he responded.

"Excellent. Hey Emerson," Jack called at the screen. When the man looked over at them, Jack continued. "Tell Carter that we're going to beam them up to Thor's ship."

"Yes, sir," came the sharp reply after a fractional delay while the Colonel considered what he'd just been told.

Jack returned his focus to Thor. "Before Carter's family gets here, let me warn you about something."

"What is that, O'Neill?" Thor asked

"We just told Sam's brother Jack and his daughter Zoë about the 'Gate a few minutes ago, so they may have a little trouble accepting that this is all real. So, if they seem a little skittish, it's nothing against you personally. Got it?" Jack explained.

"I understand. Are they ready?" Thor responded.

"I'm sure they are. Emerson, tell them we're about to beam them up," he shouted at the screen again.

Only a few seconds after the words had left his mouth, Thor reached and turned the control stone. In a matter of moments, a brightly smiling Sam Carter appeared with her nonplussed brother and her amazed niece.

"Colonel Carter. It is a pleasure to see you again," Thor said, giving her a nod.

"Thor! It's good to see you, too. How are things in the rest of the universe?" Sam replied.

"Things are going very well. After the demise of the Ori and the defeat of the major Goa'uld powers, our collective efforts have turned to the solution of our problem with genetic degradation. I am pleased to say that we are making significant progress. We have not completely resolved our issues, but our solution draws nearer every day," he declared

"That's great! If there's any way we can help, just let us know and we'll be glad to return the favor for everything you've done for us over the years," Sam responded. "Thor, allow me to introduce you to my family. This is my brother, Sheriff Jack Carter of Eureka. And this lovely young lady is his daughter, my niece Zoë Carter. Jack, Zoë, this is Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet."

"Sheriff Carter, Miss Carter, it is an honor to meet you," Thor stated.

"It's nice to meet you too, Thor," Zoë said.

The Sheriff just kept gaping, still trying to wrap his mind around everything that had been revealed to him over the course of the evening. He managed to nod courteously at Thor, receiving a head bob in return.

"Hey, Jack, Zoë, come over here," O'Neill called from against one of the walls.

They soon did and were immediately overwhelmed with the sight. In front of them was a giant window with a breathtaking view of the Earth.

"We're really on a spaceship, aren't we?" the Sheriff finally asked.

"Yep. Pretty cool, isn't it?" the General replied.

"Don't get me wrong, Thor, because I do enjoy chatting with you, but why did you call us up here?" Sam inquired.

"O'Neill asked me to bring you up," Thor succinctly stated.

"Why did you bring him up here?" Sam pressed.

Thor held out his hand and a small plastic cartridge appeared. "I wished to return the game I borrowed from him the last time I was here and to inform him that I had broken all of his high scores."

Zoë and the Sheriff gasped. Sam turned an incredulous look on the General who tried valiantly, and failed miserably, to look innocent.

"You gave Thor a Gameboy?" Sam demanded.

"He asked me for it!" Jack justified.

"Indeed I did. I became quite fond of it when I was forced to spend a prolonged time staring at an empty lake with O'Neill," Thor explained.

It took Sam a moment for that to sink in. "You took Thor _fishing_?" she shouted.

"You were in Atlantis, and you know how Teal'c and Danny feel about fishing. Thor was in the neighborhood, so I asked him if he'd like to join me," Jack rationalized.

"I was able to learn much about your culture. Though I still do not understand the large yellow man on your favorite entertainment program, O'Neill," Thor said.

Sam heaved a sigh of despair and dropped her head. She shook it a few times in disapproval. "You forced Thor to watch 'The Simpsons' with you?"

"Hey, he could have beamed himself out!" Jack objected.

"Only after I discovered and disabled the signal jamming device you built," Thor retorted.

Sam's head shot back up, eyes wide as saucers. "You built a jammer capable of disrupting Asgard transport beams?"

"Using paper clips, gum wrappers and an old television set," Thor reported.

"Don't forget the duct tape!" O'Neill proudly added. "But you weren't supposed to tell her about that, remember?"

Sam's jaw dropped in shock. As the implications registered in her mind, though, her mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "We are having a serious talk when we get home!"

Major General Jack O'Neill, one of the most battle hardened warriors on Earth, a man who had stared down Goa'uld too numerous to count and not given in to enemies even when tortured, visibly quailed under Sam's glare.

"Thor, why didn't you just send it back through the 'gate? Or leave it in DC, Colorado, or my cabin?" Jack meekly asked, not meeting Sam's gaze.

"I wished to see your reaction to having defeated your scores. I also came in person to wish both you and Colonel Carter congratulations on your impending nuptials and to inform you that I am honored that you have asked me to officiate at the ceremony," he answered simply.

"If I don't kill him first," Sam muttered.

Thor blinked. "That would be most unfortunate. The Asgard High Council is very much looking forward to attending."

"You're going to have aliens at your wedding?" the Sheriff queried, reminding everyone that he and Zoë were still there.

"That's so cool!" Zoë cried out.

"The High Council has great hopes that you will soon produce offspring and that they may be a crucial link in regaining our ability to reproduce sexually," he expounded.

"_What_?!?"

The four voices that yelled out in unison were almost deafening in the enclosed space of Thor's ship.

"Is not the purpose of marriage to procreate?" Thor innocently asked.

"That's just one of the purposes, buddy," General O'Neill explained.

"The Asgard are most anxious for this to happen. The prospects of a child with your combined intelligence and unique biological makeups may hold the key to not only our future but your own as well," Thor shared.

"Yeah, there'll be no pressure on that kid," Zoë gibed.

"The Asgard are eager to help in the process in any way that we can," Thor continued.

"Whoa, there, buddy. If, and I stress if, we decide to have a child, Sam and I are both very capable of taking care of the process ourselves, thank you very much!" Jack objected.

"But your way is inefficient. We can produce an offspring much more quickly and with the optimal genetic makeup. In fact, we can take care of the entire process right now and grow the child here on my ship in a matter of hours," Thor offered again.

"I wouldn't mind missing out on colic, diaper changes and middle of the night feedings, but I'm going to have to give you a big fat no to the idea of you doing it for us. Sam and I happen to enjoy the normal way," Jack declared.

"EWWWWW!!! I so did not need to hear that!" Zoë whined.

Her father, looking rather unsettled, was inclined to agree.

"While we appreciate the offer and may discuss this with you in the future, right now we'd like to just focus on the wedding," Sam said, placating Thor. "Besides, suddenly appearing with a baby after so recently having a check up and being definitely NOT pregnant could cause a lot of trouble for everyone involved."

"Very well," Thor reluctantly agreed. "But please remember that the High Council would be extremely grateful if you could help us soon."

General O'Neill's eyebrows shot up. "How grateful? Are we talking big honkin' space gun grateful? ZPM donation grateful? Faster hyperspace drives grateful? Terrestrial beaming technology grateful? Subspace telecommunication array grateful?"

"Sir!" Sam instinctively cried.

Jack shot her an innocent, apologetic look.

"Perhaps," Thor noncommittally replied as he walked back to his console.

Before the conversation could continue any further, a white light flashed and all five beings were soon standing in Sheriff Carter's living room.

"I will contact you again when you are not occupied with your family, General O'Neill and Colonel Carter," Thor stated, beaming himself back out of the room.

"Well, that was … unusual," the Sheriff commented dryly.

"For me? Not so much," the General shot back. "Now where were we before Thor interrupted? Oh yeah. 'Gate Physics 101..."

---------------

Published 04-27-09


	10. The Wrapup

Summary: How do you handle it when your paradigm is shifted and you learn that life, the universe, and everything don't work quite the way you though?

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Zoë was sure her dad's head was going to explode. While the science behind the Stargate was way beyond what she had ever studied, at least she had recently studied some quantum physics and the basics of relativity.

The Sheriff, on the other hand, was being thrown even further off the deep end. While he might have worked with some of the most brilliant minds on Earth for the last few months (or years, in his altered time line), he usually glossed over the details to focus on the big picture and make sure no one caused a nuclear meltdown or some other such disaster. While the General (and Sam, as much as she could) had dumbed down the explanation, it was still a lot of information to take in. They had been talking for almost two hours by the time they reached the end of the prepared information on the Stargate program.

"Let me see if I get the gist of it," the Sheriff said. "You walk through this giant puddle. It takes you to another planet by moving you outside of normal space and time. While there, you will probably encounter natives who will probably attack you in some sort of cultural misunderstanding. Oh, and there are almost always lots of trees. In order to get back home, you have to redial the 'gate because if you tried to walk the wrong direction through an open wormhole, you'd die. The 'gate network was built millions of years ago by a race of beings known in the Milky Way Galaxy as the 'Ancients' and in the Pegasus Galaxy as the 'Lanteans.' Some people, including General O'Neill, have a special gene that lets them use their technology. They also built the Lost City of Atlantis, which is actually a giant space ship that flew away from Earth and landed in another galaxy. For the last year, Sam has been the commander of our people on the research outpost there. Oh, and they built some really cool spaceships that can go through the Stargate and that Jack can fly just by using his mind."

"Don't forget that Aunt Sam also helped design a fleet of our own spaceships with the help of Thor and the Asgard," Zoë interjected. "And that we're well on our way to becoming the Fifth Race, after the Asgard, Nox, Ancients, and Furlings."

"Yep, that about sums it up," the General agreed.

"I'm impressed. You're taking all of this really well," Sam told her brother and niece.

"Oh, I'm completely freaking out," the Sheriff replied quickly. "But then again, that's pretty much normal for me now."

"Remember, we do live in Eureka," Zoë added. "We see impossible things happen every day."

"I think I'm going to go grab another beer and head to bed before the shock wears off," the Sheriff stated as he headed to the kitchen. "SARAH, hit me again."

"Analysis of your alcohol intake over the past few hours reveals that you have consumed a more than advisable amount already. I do not think it would be wise to have another," SARAH answered.

"SARAH! Just pour me the damn beer!" Jack demanded.

"All right, Sheriff Carter, but do not say I didn't warn you," the house acquiesced.

When he passed back through the living room on the way to the stairs as he headed to bed, the Sheriff told everyone goodnight. He was greeted by a chorus of replies on his way upstairs as he went to sleep off the buzz in both his mind and his body.

-----------

"So, what do I need to do to be just like you when I grow up, Aunt Sam?" Zoë asked a few minutes later, hero worship painted all over her face.

Her sincere, eager expression almost made Sam cry. She quickly crossed the room and enveloped her niece in a gigantic hug. "Oh, honey! That's what I was hoping to hear when I asked the General to let me tell you about the SGC!"

Zoë beamed at the compliment, honored that her Aunt thought highly enough of her to want her to follow in Sam's footsteps. "I mean, traveling to other planets and getting paid to do it? How cool is that!"

"I need to warn you, though, that what we do is dangerous," Sam cautioned, releasing her hug and returning to her seat next to Jack. "I can't count the number of times I've come home from missions where I was injured."

"Or dead," Jack added dryly.

Zoë's eyes widened. "You've died?"

Sam nodded solemnly. "A couple times. Not nearly as often as Jack or Daniel. But one of those times was actually from an incident that happened on base. It just goes to show that it's a very dangerous job. You need to consider that carefully."

"Oh, I understand," Zoë replied dismissively. "Then again, so is living here or working at GD. But I can't imagine anything better than saving the universe and traveling to other planets, no matter what the risks may be."

Sam couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Well, you're going to have to keep your behavior under control. No more identity fraud or running away from home, young lady. As for schooling, I'd suggest that you study theoretical astrophysics."

"You want to turn her into a mini-you?" Jack kidded.

Sam frowned at him. "You know as well as I do how important it is to understand the principles behind what we do. And apparently, you understand them a lot better than you've ever let on…"

Turning back to Zoë, she continued. "I'd also suggest studying astronomy, anthropology, archeology and as many foreign languages as you can."

"Latin in particular," Jack supplied. When both Sam and Zoë looked confused and surprised, he elaborated on his comment. "It's a close descendant of Ancient. That's how Daniel taught Teal'c and me during the whole time loop incident."

"Are you considering joining the Air Force?" Sam asked her niece.

"Honestly, I'd never really thought about it," Zoë admitted.

"Well, the Air Force Academy is a great pipeline into the SGC. It's the best way to get assigned to a field team, but it's not the only way," Sam explained. "We also look for the most brilliant civilian experts in strategic fields, namely the ones I just mentioned."

"Either way, though, you should get some experience with firearms, especially if you want to be on an SG team," Jack stated. "And don't forget, you can't tell anyone about the SGC or why you want to learn any of these subjects."

"Several of our scientists have been recruited from GD, so an internship there would look very good on your resume. As for the weapons training, I'd suggest you talk to Jo. She used to be at the SGC, so she'll understand," Sam offered.

Jack snorted at that thought. "Uh, you might be better off getting your dad to teach you, at least for your firearm basics. Jo can be a little intense with a weapon."

Zoë laughed. "Yeah, she does get pretty gung-ho."

"Indeed," Sam intoned, causing Jack to chuckle.

Assuming it was some sort of inside joke, Zoë let it go. She stifled a yawn before looking at her watch. Realizing what time it was, she decided to turn in for the night. She got up and gave Sam another hug. "We've got a lot of shopping to do tomorrow, so I better hit the hay. It's so good to have you here, Aunt Sam!"

"It's been really nice to see you again, too, Zoë," Sam replied.

"Goodnight, General," Zoë said, offering a sloppy attempt at a salute that made everyone smile.

"Sleep well, Zoë," Jack returned, reaching out and giving her a hug as well.

As Zoë left the room, Jack turned to his fiancée. "Are you ready for bed yet, Sam?"

"Not yet, Jack. Let's just sit here and enjoy the silence for a few more minutes," she implored.

While he was partial to snuggling up with Sam in bed, how could he resist cuddling with her on the couch, either?

"Well, now that we've told them, how do you think they'll handle it in the long run?" Jack finally asked after several minutes of reminiscing. He enjoyed the peace and quiet while he held Sam, but he also wanted to know her thoughts on the events of the day.

"I think they'll be OK," she eventually replied. "It's a lot to take in at once, but I think after what they've experienced living in Eureka, they'll be able to deal with it."

"So, next question: who do you think will ask to go through the 'gate first?" O'Neill pondered.

"$20 says Jack will. No question about it," Sam responded.

He quirked an eyebrow. "How come you're so sure? I mean, Zoë wants to be just like you…"

"Yes, but Jack will be up first," Sam shot back.

"Touché," Jack acceded. "How do you feel about Zoë wanting to be just like you? I mean, going out into the field is always risky."

Sam paused for a minute to consider the question before she answered. "We both know how dangerous it is out there. It's safer now, certainly, but every time you step through the 'gate, there's a very real chance that you might not come back. I know she's gotten into trouble before, but I really think it's because she didn't have any goals or challenges in her life. If she applies herself, there's no limit to what she can do. She's absolutely brilliant and has the Carter stubborn streak, too, so I think she'll make it. I don't know how my brother will react when he finds out what she wants to do, but at least we know he'll understand the concept of duty first and that she'll be trying to make the world a better place."

They sat in silence for several more minutes before Jack spoke again. "How did you feel about the meeting with Stark?"

Sam shuddered. "Ugh. He's almost as arrogant as a Goa'uld!"

Jack laughed.

Sam glared at him. "He's even worse than McKay! At least Rodney's been out in the field and has done the actions to back up some of his words. He knows what's at stake. Stark is just a pompous blowhard. And he's not even right half the time!"

"But do you think we can trust him to do the tasks he's been assigned?" Jack asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

"I don't know. He seems to follow his own agenda. Where the projects we give him match, he will probably be fine. If it's something he doesn't see as important, though, there could be problems," Sam confided.

After sitting for several more minutes, reflecting on his own thoughts about the day, Jack noticed that Sam was starting to nod off. Without hesitation, he picked her up and headed for the stairs. "Come on, Carter. Time for bed."

"Good night, General O'Neill and Colonel Carter," SARAH called out, startling them so much that Jack almost dropped his fiancée. They had momentarily forgotten that they were in an AI-controlled house.

"Thanks, SARAH," Sam sleepily responded. "Could you please lock everything up for the night?"

"I have already sealed the bunker. I hope you have pleasant dreams," SARAH answered.

"You too," Jack replied without thinking.

"I do not dream, General," SARAH stated. "I appreciate the sentiment, though."

"Whatever," Jack grumbled as he settled his love into bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow, and he followed soon afterwards.

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Published 04-28-09


	11. Shopping and Scheming, Eureka Style

Summary: There's nothing Sam and Zoë can't do when they set their minds to it...

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"SARAH, coffee! I've got a headache the size of Stark's ego," the Sheriff called out as he trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen.

He jumped when a male voice responded instead.

"Too much to drink yesterday or too much information to take in last night?" the General asked.

"Combination of the two, I think," he replied. After grabbing the mug SARAH had poured and downing half of it, he shook his head to wipe away some of the mental cobwebs from his night's sleep.

"Is now when I say 'I told you so,' Sheriff?" SARAH teased in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled into his mug as he took another sip.

The General had to laugh at the entire situation, earning him a glare from the Sheriff.

"Sam's not up yet this morning?" Carter asked, hoping to change the subject to something less embarrassing.

"She was just finishing up in the bathroom. She seemed pretty fascinated with your sonic shower. I heard her saying something about how they'd be great on our ships," O'Neill replied.

"Well, she can have it! First chance I get, I'm putting a real one in here," the Sheriff vehemently stated. "And speaking of space travel, being out on Thor's ship was great, but when do we get to go through this Stargate?"

"You owe me 20 bucks!" Sam called out as she hurried down the stairs, confusing the Sheriff but causing the General to chuckle. "Good morning, Jack."

"Morning, Sam. Sleep well?" he questioned.

"Like a dream. I have got to get one of those mattresses!" she enthused. "So, do you have any idea when Zoë will be up and ready for our day of shopping?"

"Well, she's usually out of bed by the crack of noon," the Sheriff deadpanned.

"I guess that gives me plenty of time to catch up on some work before heading out for some shopping," Sam said thoughtfully.

"Carter! You keep forgetting you're supposed to be on vacation!" O'Neill cried in frustration.

"I know, sir, but I have an awful lot to catch up on. Having spent most of the last year in only occasional contact with this galaxy tends to leave one a little out of touch with what's been happening," she answered. "And fighting the Wraith doesn't leave a lot of time for doing paperwork."

"Well, I'll let you enjoy the peace and quiet of the house. I have to get in to the office and make sure no one's trying to blow up the town today," the Sheriff stated.

"Would you mind dropping me off at Global Dynamics? I have some more reports to wade through up there and sections to tour. I'd like to get them all accomplished today so I can spend the next few days without the threat of responsibility hanging over my head," O'Neill asked. "It may be Saturday, but knowing how scientists are, I'm sure there will still be plenty of people around." He glared at his fiancée who had the good grace to look sheepish.

"No problem. I'll make sure we're back in time for dinner tonight," he said. "Have fun with your shopping and scheming, Sam"

"Oh, I have a feeling everything is going to work out nicely," she declared with a gleam in her eye. "In fact, I plan on calling Allison in a few minutes to get her to join Zoë and me. By the end of the afternoon, she'll be more than ready for our double date this evening. She won't know what hit her!"

The pair of Jacks shared a look of amused resignation to the situation before they headed out for the day.

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Sam was wiped out. Thoroughly pleased, but utterly exhausted. Zoë had gotten up around 10AM, bubbling over with excitement about getting to spend a day shopping with her Aunt. Sam had already arranged to meet Allison for an early lunch at Café Diem, so they headed out as soon as Zoë was functioning on all cylinders. Afterwards, they hit the town.

Zoë was right when she said Eureka had some beautiful boutiques. The florist shop used holographic projections to create the bouquets, so Sam was able to get everything arranged exactly the way she wanted. The music shop had digital copies of every song ever recorded, so she was able to put together her ideal song selections. The photography store had 3D holographic recorders and automated, AI-controlled cameras that would handle all video and still photography, respectively. They spent several hours picking out the wedding favors, a dinner menu, dessert selections that, of course, included blue Jell-o and chocolate cake, and some of Sam's bridesmaid gifts.

Sam managed to find an absolutely perfect dress. Instead of having to try them on, she was put in a virtual reality simulation where the entire stock of dresses was able to be displayed in rapid succession. When she found the one she wanted, it was tailored to her by the computers before she had even left the shop. Zoë modeled the bridesmaid dresses, and they finally settled on a cornflower blue dress with silver accents, solving the question of the colors. They also picked out the tuxes that all of the groomsmen would be wearing. General O'Neill was going to be wearing his dress blues. He would have preferred a tux, but she wanted him in his formal uniform, and what Sam wanted, Sam got.

After working on her all day, Zoë and Sam were able to convince Allison to purchase a dress for herself that would complement a certain someone in his tux. They were even able to persuade her that Zoë should babysit Kevin that evening so that she could come to dinner and that she absolutely had to buy a new dress for the occasion.

Yes, by the time Sam and arrived back at the bunker, she had the plans set in motion for the evening as well as everything she'd need at the wedding and was ready for a nap. That super comfortable mattress was irresistibly calling her name again…

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Published 04-29-09


	12. Double Date

Summary: Jack Carter is nervous. Which is sort of ridiculous, considering he was married to her in another timeline...

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"Now, Jack, just relax. It's going to be fine," Sam soothed. "She's already crazy about you."

"Are you sure?" Sheriff Carter asked nervously.

"Of course I'm sure. Zoë and I were even able to convince her to buy a dress to complement your tux while we were out today. She's looking forward to, and probably just as nervous about, tonight as you are."

"And you know Sam's always right," General O'Neill added as he came downstairs from the guest bedroom.

Sam took a moment to ogle the General in his "_yu bun duh_ monkey suit," as he so vociferously put it. Regardless of whether he liked it or not, Sam couldn't help but admire how good he looked. She graced him with her brightest smile, both because of how good he looked and for what he'd just said. "Well, I may not always be right, but I am correct about this. Now, brother dear, go get dressed."

"What's wrong with this?" the Sheriff objected.

Sam took in his khakis and black sweater and summarily pursed her lips. "No. You are going to go change into a suit. I mean, you used to wear one every day at work, for cryin' out loud!"

O'Neill laughed at her subconscious use of his favorite expression. He laughed again at her next order.

"I've already picked out the right outfit for you. Black suit, black pants, black shoes, argyle socks, white shirt, blue tie. SARAH's already finished pressing it, so it should be hanging in your closet ready for you as we speak."

"Yes, ma'am," he grumbled, heading up the stairs.

"So, what's the point of this dog and pony show?" Jack asked when the Sheriff had made his way to his bedroom.

A smirk crossed her face. "You know how I feel when I see you all dressed up."

A knowing smile etched itself across Jack's face. "And while what happens later definitely makes up for having to wear this getup, it still doesn't answer my question."

"Well, by the end of the night, we're going to make sure Allison is coming as Jack's date to the wedding. And, if I'm not mistaken, she will also realize that she's completely in love with my brother," Sam declared.

"A little ambitious for a dinner, don't you think?" Jack quipped.

"Oh, she's well on her way there already. We just need to give her a little push over the edge," Sam informed him.

"So, what role am I supposed to play in this escapade?" he queried.

"You're going to show Allison what she's missing in her life by demonstrating how happy in love we are," she explained.

"That, my dear Colonel, is something I can handle," he gladly stated as he leaned over and kissed her deeply.

"Ah, get a room, you two!" the Sheriff called as he tromped back down the stairs.

"That comes later," Sam shot back.

Sheriff Carter blanched as he reached the last step and her words sunk in. "Sam! I don't want to hear that from you any more than I do from Zoë!"

Sam and the General laughed at that for a half minute before the door chime sounded.

"SARAH, door!" the Sheriff commanded, glad for the interruption.

Those were his last words before he was struck dumb by the vision of beauty that appeared in front of him.

Allison Blake walked in to the house wearing her hair in curls, clipped up. She had on a blue satin evening gown that came down to her knees. It was accented by a silver necklace with a blue topaz pendant and matching earrings, all of which matched her dress and, not coincidentally, the Sheriff's tie perfectly.

"Allison! You look amazing!" Sam gushed as she rushed over to give the last member of their dinner party a hug.

"Yes, you look lovely this evening, Dr. Blake," the General added.

"Thank you," Allison replied demurely. She turned and took a moment to look at Jack Carter. She had grown so used to seeing him in his Sheriff's uniform that the sight of him in a suit and tie was a bit surprising. And not at all unpleasant, either.

She let a little grin play across her face as she looked at the still staring man. "What's the matter, Carter? Did I grow another head or something?"

Her tone startled Jack and finally broke him out of his revere. Shaking his head to clear it, he was finally able to speak again. "Allie! Wow! You look absolutely gorgeous! Is that a new dress?"

She nodded, looking down coyly. "Sam helped me pick it out. I take it you like it?"

"Oh yeah," the Sheriff proclaimed vigorously. "It looks perfect on you. Absolutely stunning."

"Well, it obviously stunned you," she cracked.

"Uh, yeah. I didn't mean to stare. Sorry about that," he apologized. "I just had a sort of strange moment of déjà vu."

Allison gave him a quizzical look but let it go.

Sam, having the insight of knowing about his alternate time line and therefore figuring out to what he was referring, gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, shall we eat?" she asked, deciding a subject change was in order.

"I've prepared some fresh beer-basted halibut, salads and iced sun tea," SARAH informed them.

They each grabbed a portion from the kitchen and moved into the dining room.

After a few minutes spent enjoying the delicious meal with the quiet only broken expressing their pleasure to SARAH, the Sheriff re-opened the conversation. "So, when are we getting to go through the Stargate to some other planet?"

Sam and the General exchanged a quick, worried look. "Uh, Jack," Sam gently said, "do you realize that you've just violated your non disclosure agreement?"

"_What_?!?" he shouted.

Sam shifted her eyes to Allison. Her brother's gaze followed, uncomprehending. He took a moment to replay what he'd asked in his mind, still not understanding the problem.

"I already know about the Stargate program," Allison soothed. "I was never involved after it officially started, but my role with the DOD when I was in Washington kept me in the loop. I still have clearance, so it's OK."

Sheriff Carter's eyes widened as he realized the blunder that he'd made.

"No, it's not OK," O'Neill stated. "There was no harm done in this case, but what if this dinner had happened somewhere else? Or what if you didn't already know about the project?"

"Jack, you _have _to be careful!" Sam chastised. "A careless word said at the wrong time or in the wrong place could bring widespread panic and mass hysteria. It could even cause a multitude of casualties. Unfortunately, we've seen it happen before."

"It would probably be better if you just never talked about anything to do with what you've learned over the last day," General O'Neill declared.

The Sheriff hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I'm just so wound up and excited that I didn't think about it before I asked." He paused for a full minute before he looked back up at O'Neill. During that time, Allison reached over and held his hand in a gesture of support. The movement did not go unnoticed by the other guests, though they didn't say anything.

"How much trouble am I in?" he finally asked.

"Well, I'm tempted to wipe your memory of everything that happened last night," the General stated.

Allison gasped. Sam jerked her head around and frowned at O'Neill. The Sheriff just groaned.

"You don't have one of Henry's little "Forget Me Now" devices, do you?" he asked. "Or maybe one of those memory eraser things like the Men in Black?"

"No."

Sheriff Carter breathed a sigh of relief.

The General cleared his throat and shot a quick glare at him. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I've considered it, but I think it'd just create more problems in the long run. As to when you can go through the 'gate, we're looking at having our wedding off world. There's this beautiful little planet where the beaches stretch on forever…"

"It sounds wonderful," Allison said.

"Yeah, the fish practically catch themselves for you. Of course, they're an odd shade of purple and have extra fins, but it's still paradise," he added.

"Yeah, that sounds pretty much perfect," Sheriff Carter agreed.

"Jack, we are serious. You can't tell ANYONE about this," Sam warned again. "The only people in Eureka that officially know about the Stargate program are you, Zoë, Jo, and apparently Allison."

He thought about that for a second. "You mean I know something that Stark doesn't?"

"That's a first," Allison taunted.

"And we'd like to keep it that way," Sam continued. "The fewer people that know about it, the better."

"Aww, I can't even lord it over him? No fair!" the Sheriff bellyached.

"Well, life's not fair. If it was, we wouldn't have had to spend the last decade fighting to free enslaved people across the galaxy. Not to mention that the General and I would have been married a long time ago," Sam declared. "On the other hand, in every universe where we were together, Earth was destroyed…"

"Are you saying that our marriage is going to bring about the Earth's imminent demise?" O'Neill gibed.

"Well, the odds say yes, but I sure hope not. Otherwise, I guess we're heading back to Atlantis!" Sam returned.

"I'm willing to take my chances for you," he quietly declared. "Even if it does cause the apocalypse and we don't have long together, every moment will be worth it in the end."

Sam could do nothing but lean over and kiss him soundly.

As they took in the scene before them, the Sheriff and Allison realized that they were still holding hands. And as they looked into each other's eyes, they both realized that neither of them wanted to let go.

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Published 04-30-09


	13. Movie Time

Summary: What goes with dinner? A movie, of course! Now, to come to a consensus...

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After dinner, it was decided that they would watch a movie. Finding one that the General and Sam could agree on, though, was quite a challenge.

"Star Wars?"

"Haven't we watched that enough times with T?"

"Indiana Jones?"

"We LIVE that with Daniel!"

"Mars Attacks!"

"A little too close to reality."

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"

"That's like reading a mission report."

"Serenity?"

"Hmm, corrupt, overly controlling governmental factions and crazed genocidal maniacs… Now why does that sound so familiar?"

"War Games?"

"Let's NOT play global thermonuclear war."

"Hackers?"

"Like anyone would believe Angelina Jolie as a hacker!"

"Star Trek?"

"Yes, let's watch Colonel Sheppard's biography AND rub salt in the wound since you won't let me name our next ship the Enterprise! Come on, no Science Fiction. What about the Simpsons Movie?"

"_No_!"

"Psycho?"

"No thrillers, Jack. How about Gone in 60 Seconds?"

"No way, Miss Lead Foot. We wouldn't want to give you any ideas, now would we? Besides, who would believe Angelina Jolie as a car thief?"

The Sheriff and Allison just sat there, watching the rapid banter back and forth. After 5 minutes of bickering, which eventually descended into them rolling on the couch tickling each other, Jack decided to offer up a suggestion. "How about Ocean's 11?"

O'Neill and Sam stopped their tickle fight and looked at each other. They both shrugged.

"Works for me," the General said.

Sam nodded her consent, still giggling while wrapped in her fiancé's arms, the position where she had been when their little battle ended.

The Sheriff turned to the woman seated next to him on the couch. "What do you say, Allison?"

"Well, what woman could say no to Brad Pitt and George Clooney?" she answered.

He sighed in relief. "Great."

Looking over at his sister and brother-in-law-to-be, a thought struck him. "You know, Jack, you're really good for Sam. I can't remember her being this relaxed and playful in a really long time."

"Yes, well, that's one of my better qualities," he replied, beaming from the compliment.

"What, having the attention span of a hyperactive toddler or behaving like one?" Sam gibed.

"No, my fun-filled personality rubbing off on other people," he insisted. "Besides, I do not have the … Hey, look, a monkey!"

Everyone else chuckled.

"SARAH, can you dim the lights and start the movie?" the Sheriff asked.

"I am downloading it right now, Sheriff Carter. The popcorn is popping as we speak. Everything will be ready in 2 minutes," SARAH declared. "In the meantime, please silence all electronic devices and visit the restroom before we begin."

As they each got up to take care of their pre-movie preparations, no one was surprised when an image of dancing concessions showed up on the display screen.

When SARAH provided the refreshments, she continued the cinema theme. The sodas (3 diet and 1 fully-loaded) were in paper cups and the popcorn was divided into 2 tubs.

"SARAH, why are there only 2 containers of popcorn?" Allison asked.

"I am trying to recreate a theater experience. I was told that couples usually like to share popcorn while watching a movie," SARAH informed her.

Allison and the Sheriff both blushed while the General and Sam grinned.

"If you would like, I can also spill some pop and candy on the floor," SARAH continued.

"No!" the Sheriff cried. "I think we already have enough ambiance, SARAH, thank you very much."

"Very well. Please be seated. Your movie will begin shortly," she stated in an overly cheerful voice.

Sam and the General quickly curled up together on the couch with an arm around each other's waist, playfully slapping each other's hands every time they simultaneously reached for the popcorn tub in his lap.

The Sheriff also held his and Allison's popcorn, though they left a little space between them on the couch.

About half way through the movie, the Sheriff made his move. He dropped his arm down from the back of the couch to rest on Allison's shoulder. At the contact, she stiffened slightly and turned to look at him. She noticed him watching her with nervous intensity and couldn't help but smile. She scooted closer and relaxed into him, easing his tension.

A few minutes later, Sam looked over at them. She tossed a couple kernels of popcorn at O'Neill to get his attention and then motioned with her eyes to check out the other couple. She grinned up at him with satisfaction when he looked back at her and then reassumed her position reclining on his chest.

Towards the end of the movie, Allison had fallen asleep on the Sheriff's shoulder. Not wanting to disturb her, he had sat back and relaxed, enjoying the moment. As the final credits rolled past and SARAH brought the lights up more, he sighed. "I really hate to wake her up. She looks so perfectly at peace when she's asleep. All of her worries about work, Kevin and everything else are gone and what's left is a serene look on her beautiful, angelic face."

"You really do love her, don't you?" Sam asked.

"More than I ever thought would be possible again," he admitted. Gazing affectionately at Allison, he was silent for a minute before he spoke again. "Hey, would it be possible to use that beaming thing to take her home without waking her?"

The General raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting the use of government resources for personal convenience?"

Sheriff Carter looked down sheepishly. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking about that."

O'Neill shrugged. "I'll call the Odyssey and see if they can beam her up and down without having to rematerialize her onboard. We'll call it a training exercise. First, I need you to call Zoë and make sure we're clear to beam in at Dr. Blake's house."

The Sheriff eased Allison off of his shoulder and into a prone position, laying her flat on the couch carefully so he wouldn't wake her. As he pulled out and dialed his cell phone, he offered his heartfelt appreciation. "Thanks, Jack."

"No problem. Tell Zoë to set her phone on Allison's bed so we can get a GPS lock on where she should be beamed," he ordered.

"Zoë says that Kevin is already asleep in bed and that she's ready when we are," the Sheriff informed him a minute later. "She's setting her phone down as we speak."

O'Neill nodded as he attached a location transmitter to Allison's purse, setting it next to her on the couch. He handed another one to the Sheriff before turning to speak with his fiancée. "Are they ready upstairs, Sam?"

She tapped her earpiece to mute it. "They're all set and waiting on your order."

"Well, then, let's blow this popsicle stand," he announced.

A few moments later, a crowd of people appeared in Allison's bedroom. After making sure she was lying comfortably on the bed, General O'Neill removed the transmitter from her purse. He handed the transmitter to Zoë and set the purse on the night table next to Allison's bed. In a few seconds, the four people spread her comforter, which Zoë had removed beforehand, over her so she wouldn't get too cold as she slept and were ready to leave.

"Back to Kansas, if you please," he told Sam. She promptly relayed the order. Before he could click his heels three times, they were returned to the bunker again.

"Thanks for your help, Zoë. The evening couldn't have gone more perfectly," Sam disclosed to her niece, giving her a bright smile. "I bet you'll be babysitting Kevin a lot more in the near future."

"Fine with me," she replied. At the look of surprise on her father's face, she added, "Dad's going to be paying me for my time."

"Now wait a minute," he started to object before being silenced by his sister.

"No, Zoë's right. It's the least you can do for her," she told him.

He turned to the General, looking for support. "That's not fair. They're ganging up on me!"

O'Neill threw up his hands. "Don't look at me! I'm Switzerland here."

"Yeah, whatever," Sheriff Carter grumbled. "On that note, I think it's time to head to sleep. Goodnight, guys," he said as he headed up to his bedroom.

"Yeah, and you can give me the $20 you owe me for tonight," Zoë cried out as she pursued him up the stairs. Looking back over her shoulder, she hollered back down, "Goodnight, Aunt Sam, Jack."

"Goodnight you two," she called back at them. She turned to her fiancée. "Are you ready for bed, too?"

"Are you kidding? I've been ready to take off this outfit for hours!" he declared.

"I think I can help you with that," Sam returned with a glint in her eye as she led him up to their bedroom.

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Published 05-01-09


	14. Welcome to the Real World

Summary: Jack O'Neill and Sam Carter have to return home. But what does the future hold for them?

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The rest of Jack and Sam's vacation passed very pleasantly and without any extra-, infra- or juxta-terrestrial threats or incidents. When it came time to leave, since Jack and Zoë knew about the Stargate program, they could be beamed back to his apartment in Washington instead of having to fly commercially.

"Goodbye, Aunt Sam. It's been really nice hanging out with you this week," Zoë told Sam as she gave her a big hug.

"I wish you could stay, sis," the Sheriff said, offering her a hug of his own.

"Well, you never know what's going to happen next. Maybe the General will make my next posting as a civilian scientist and military liaison with Global Dynamics," Sam offered.

"That's not a bad idea, Sam," he proclaimed. "Let me look into it when we get back to Washington. I'll have to get approval from the IOA, but I think it might just work out. That way we'd have someone else making sure Stark doesn't get off-track and I could make sure I'm getting the whole story on project reports. And we could beam in and out of here at will, coordinating with SARAH to make sure it's safe, of course."

"Well, Jack, she's more than welcome to live here with us," the Sheriff declared. "It may not be the most glamorous house in the world, but Zoë and I have come to love it."

"Thank you, Sheriff Carter. I enjoy having you here, too," SARAH announced.

"Well, at least when SARAH's not intruding in my private life," Zoë clarified.

"Or trying to kill us," the Sheriff added.

"We'll think about it," Sam stated. "And either way, we'll be seeing you soon for the wedding. Well, sir, I guess it's time to go."

"Ya, sure, you betcha," he said with a lilt. "Jack, Zoë, it's been a real pleasure getting to know you."

"You too, General," the Sheriff said, giving him a firm handshake. Zoë gave him a hug, too, before stepping back to her father's side.

Seconds later, a brilliant light pervaded the room. When it dimmed, Jack and Sam were gone.

"Well, I guess it's back to a normal life now," Zoë lamented.

"In Eureka? Somehow, I highly doubt it," her father quipped.

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Author's Notes: Thus concludes "The Universal Tendencies of Super Geniuses." I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I've had writing it.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has read and reviewed. I've really enjoyed hearing what you thought about what I've written and what you found funny. It's very gratifying to hear when something I've written has brought a touch of humor to your day :-)

As you can see, I've left the door wide open for a sequel. I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to write one or not, though. And if I do, it probably won't be for a while. There are too many other story ideas I've had that need to be addressed before I would want to come back to this.

Again, thank you to my beta readers. They've helped me immensely!

Until next time...

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Published 05-02-09


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